It’s always the same blue cake in the shape of a pregnant woman that’s cut and served to the guests…. could it get any less original than that?!

A dear friend of mine recently asked for my help in organizing a baby shower for her sister-in-law. After the initial “it’ll be a boy” and “they are adventurous travellers” and “I want this party to be special”, I had my work cut out for me! I wanted something unique but true to the soon-to-be parents. Looking into existing baby shower and birthday themes, Ibegan to lose interest. Everything looked the same; same theme, same set-up, same cake, same games. The only thing that was different was the color pink for the girls, and blue for the boys! I wanted to do something different, something not mass-produced.

Mommy to-be gave the color palette and general likes and dislikes. I knew that the father-to-be is an avid Cessna pilot and has been fascinated with planes all his life.

I put on my designer hat and began to envision this scenario. A special boy who loves to travel and fly to new places, new worlds. He is brave, adventurous, adorable and loved by so many; Le Petit Prince !

Once I had the theme, everything started to fall into place and endless ideas came to my mind. This was unchartered territory! When I began my research, I realized there were no known products out there to purchase and the idea was so unique that there were no examples and inspiration to help me get started. If the couple embraced this idea, I had my work cut out for me! I knew I had to make everything myself.

At the same time, this was exactly in my comfort zone! All my other ideas are never ordinary, or safe, or copied from the internet! It’s never easy but always worth it. So I decided to run it by the young parents.As it happens, Le Petit Prince was among their favorite childhood stories and they loved the imagery and symbolism.

I had a limited budget to work with, but did not want to compromise the quality or creativity of the design. I began to think out of the box and envision the impossible! If I were at La nouvelle boutique du Petit Prince in Paris, what would I buy? For this party I wanted to have a few authentic items for the parent’s keepsake, and everything else would have to be made. I began to frequent antique and collectible shops to find treasures. My vision was my guide. After a lot of sewing, painting, cutting and drawing with a dash of creativity, I was ready to unveil the final design for the event.

Every item for the baby shower was carefully chosen with the intention of being reused and repurposed in the future nursery. On the day of the party, the soon-to-be parents were overjoyed and loved every detail, design and game.

Simple yet elegant was the theme of this Spring wedding. The beautiful bride and handsome groom did not want a big ceremony. What they wanted was a meaningful service with attention to detail. Their Sofreh elements were chosen very carefully and with much thought. Each one had a significant meaning for the couple. The container of honey had been in their family for generations and had taken part in so many previous weddings to sweeten the couple’s palette. An antique volume of Hafez poetry was also included, which would reveal their future together. No details were spared for this sophisticated Sofreh. On the day of the wedding, when the groom saw the bride, it was as if they fell in love all over again. Then, she looked at her Sofreh, and her eyes laughed with joy.

This couple came to me for their Sofreh and flower design.They wanted a style that was colorful, elegant and unique. On the day of the wedding, while everyone was busy with the tasks at hand,I took a moment to pause and look around. I saw about me a beautiful dance among the endless yards of fabric and tulle and a sea of colorful flowers. Everyone seemed to be involved in this dance, the groomsmen and bridesmaids alike. It was one of the most beautiful scenes I had ever seen. Palace of Fine Arts with all its majestic beauty made the perfect backdrop for this beautiful couple and their unique wedding.